In the United States, after a person is arrested, detained, or otherwise committed to a correctional facility, that person is typically afforded certain visitation rights. Particularly, while residing within a correctional facility, an inmate may desire or need to communicate with non-residents of that facility, such as, for example, family members, friends, lawyers, etc. Depending upon the facility's internal procedures (e.g., predetermined days and times when visitation is allowed, etc.), the inmate may request that the visitation be arranged. Conversely, a non-resident desiring to have the visitation may contact the facility to initiate the request.
In many situations, visitations are performed in person—i.e., the non-resident physically travels to the correctional facility, complies with a security clearance protocol (e.g., ID verification, metal detector, body scan, etc.), and meets with the incarcerated resident in a secured location, usually under supervision of the facility's staff (e.g., a police officer or deputy, U.S. Marshal, etc.). Because in-person visitation can consume a significant amount of resources, and because many correctional facilities are typically operating at or above capacity, visitation requests may have to be booked a significant amount of time in advance.
As the inventors here of have recognized, however, recent developments in telecommunication systems and computer networks now allow remote, video visitation to take place. Generally speaking, by implementing video visitation systems, a correctional facility can potentially utilize its resources more efficiently, while providing better and more responsive services to its residents.